sema

¹ American  

[se-mah, say-mah] / sɛˈmɑ, ˈseɪ mɑ /

noun

1. Islam. a ritual in the Sufi tradition, combining the recitation of poetry, chanting of passages from the Quran, music, vocal and instrumental music, and dancing by whirling dervishes.

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sema ² American  

[say-mah] / ˈseɪ mɑ /

noun

1. in Anishinaabe culture, tobacco, viewed as a sacred plant and used in prayer and offerings to the Creator.

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sema ³ American  

[see-muh] / ˈsi mə /

noun

plural

semas

1. Linguistics. (in semiotics) a unit of meaning; sememe.

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Example Sentences

This was the sense I had at the sema I attended at the cultural center, and a couple of my fellow audience members agreed with that assessment.

From Washington Post • Apr. 11, 2019

These rules aren’t in place just because the sema is a religious ceremony to be treated respectfully.

From Washington Post • Apr. 11, 2019

Inspired, other sects started to spread his dance, called the sema, throughout the Ottoman Empire.

From Washington Post • Apr. 11, 2019

According to Jacobs, the full attention of the audience is integral to the success of the sema performance.

From Washington Post • Apr. 11, 2019

Aztec or Mexican; yetl: Algonkin; sema: Huron; oyngoua.

From Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America, During the Year 1799-1804 — Volume 2 by Humboldt, Alexander von